Method and device for operating a multiple component technical system, particularly a combustion system for producing electrical energy

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to the economical operation of a technical system ( 10 ) consisting of several components ( 1,2,3 . . . 8 ). According to the inventive method, in each operating or non-operating component, an evaluation of at least one other component with a value (WZ1, WZ2, WZ3) is continuously triggered, the values of each component ( 1,2,3 . . . 8 ) are added, and the components are selected as to which is the next to be started or stopped from the added values. The invention also relates to a device ( 9 ) which is characterised in that a plurality of values (WZ1, WZ2, WZ3) associated respectively with a component are stored in at least one computer unit ( 20 ); whereby the computer unit ( 20 ) is enabled to trigger an evaluation of at least one other component with a value (WZ1, WZ2, WZ3) when a component begins or terminates operation, and the values of each component being added. The computer unit ( 20 ) is also enabled to determine which components should be started or stopped based on the added values.

[0001] Method and device for operating a technical installationcomprising a number of components, in particular a combustioninstallation for generating electrical energy

[0002] The invention relates to a method for operating a technicalinstallation which comprises a number of components. It also relates toa device for operating an installation of this type. The technicalinstallation is preferably a combustion installation for generatingelectrical energy.

[0003] Technical installations generally comprise a number ofcomponents, which for example either each realize a specific function ofthe technical installation or together perform a certain function.

[0004] An example of a technical installation in which components withdifferent functions act together is, for example, a power plant forgenerating electrical energy. To be able to generate electrical energyin a technical installation of this type, interaction between numerouscomponents each with a different task is necessary.

[0005] To be mentioned here as examples of the most important componentsare the turbines, the generators, the protective systems and the controlsystem. Efficient operation of a technical installation of this type isonly possible if use of the components mentioned is coordinated.

[0006] In modern technical installations, said interaction between thecomponents of the technical installation is usually coordinated andmonitored by a computer-aided control system. The degree of automationis in this case often very high, so that human interventions in theoperation of the technical installation are only necessary if theautomatic control has to deal with a current operating state of thetechnical installation for which no solution or procedure is provided inthe control programs of the control system. This may for examplecomprise incidents which could not be taken into account in every detailwhen the control system was designed, but also operational transitionsduring operation of the technical installation that in themselves aresimple—from a human viewpoint—, but which often can only be reproducedas technical control-related programs with considerable effort. This maybe the case, for example, whenever a large number of possible operatingstates can occur during the operation of the technical installation andit is intended to be possible to achieve a desired operating state fromeach of these operating states.

[0007] A control program would then have to contain for each of thesepossible operating states associated control instructions to go to thedesired operating state. The recording of all possible operating statesof a technical installation in a control program is often not possiblein advance, so that in some cases the operating personnel of thetechnical installation have to take over operating the components of thetechnical installation manually.

[0008] In the case of a technical installation in which a number ofcomponents act together to perform a certain function, the previouslydescribed problems are similar. An example of a technical installationof this type is a combustion installation for generating electricalenergy, which comprises a number of burners arranged in a combustionchamber. Use of the burners is in this case to take place in such a waythat the fuel supplied is used as efficiently as possible, in order togenerate a required amount of electrical energy and to operate theinstallation economically. Furthermore, conservative operation of aninstallation of this type is also a desired objective, which can beachieved for example by uniform distribution of the burning in thecombustion chamber.

[0009] To use the fuel supplied as efficiently as possible, it isnecessary, in particular when starting up and shutting down thetechnical installation and in part-load operation—that is when themaximum possible amount of electrical energy that can be generated bythe combustion installation is not being demanded and not all theburners are firing simultaneously—, to switch the burners on or offselectively in such a way that the most uniform possible distribution ofburning in the combustion chamber is ensured at each point in time ofthe operation of the technical installation.

[0010] Practical operation of many power plants shows that, for examplein the case of the solution to the aforementioned problem of uniformdistribution of burning in a combustion chamber, automatic switching onand off of the main burners is often relinquished, since the logic orstep controllers usually used for accomplishing such tasks can only berealized with very great effort, the control programs that can be usedfor such purposes additionally being very complicated. The reason forthe great amount of effort is that, when operating a combustioninstallation with a number of burners, virtually every operating statebetween no load and full load, including the associated starting-up andshutting-down procedures, may be applicable. A control program wouldthen have to be able to execute corresponding control instructions foreach of these numerous operating states to ensure efficient operation ofthe technical installation.

[0011] To avoid at least partly the problem described of great effortbeing expended, logic and step controllers, in which correspondingcontrol commands are provided only for a subset of all the possibleoperating states, are in use in many power plants. By this deliberaterestriction to defined operating cases, such controller are however lessflexible and human intervention continues to be necessary for all thoseoperating cases for which no control commands are provided in thecontrollers. In order for example to solve the problem of uniformdistribution of the burning in a combustion chamber of a combustioninstallation, also conceivable are solutions in which additionalmeasuring devices are provided, for example for measuring thetemperature profile in the combustion chamber, in order then to evaluatethese measurements and consequently control use of the burners.

[0012] A disadvantage of this is that additional devices, such as forexample said measuring devices for determining the temperature profile,are necessary. Furthermore, these additional measurements have to beevaluated, in order to derive from them control commands for use of theburners. The additional effort is in this case often considerable. Whatis more, the adding of additional measuring devices imposes sources ofproblems on the technical installation, which in the event that they donot function can lead to the technical installation shutting down.

[0013] The invention is therefore based on the object of providing amethod and a device for operating an installation comprising a number ofcomponents, in particular a combustion installation for generatingelectrical energy, which overcome said disadvantages and permit the mosteconomical possible operation of the technical installation.

[0014] With respect to the method of the type stated at the beginning,the object is achieved according to the invention by the followingsteps:

[0015] 1. Each component commencing or ceasing to operate continuallytriggers an assessment of at least one other component with a numericalvalue.

[0016] 2. The numerical values of each component are summated.

[0017] 3. The components which are next to be switched on or off aredetermined from the numerical values summated.

[0018] An important aspect of this method according to the invention isthat the operating state of the components of a technical installationis described by a number of numerical values which are respectivelyassigned to a component. The numerical values may in this case be, forexample, decimal numbers. A change in the operating state of thetechnical installation due to components commencing or ceasing tooperate results in a change in at least one numerical value of at leastone component of the technical installation. The total of the numericalvalues of all the components at a certain operating time consequentlydescribes the current operating state of the technical installation.

[0019] The summated numerical values of each component, dependent on thevalue of this sum, express a priority with which the componentsconcerned are next to be switched on or off in order to arrive at adesired operating state.

[0020] The method according to the invention is consequently a method inwhich the operating state of a technical installation and changes in theoperating state are expressed by a number of numbers, for exampledecimal numbers, which are further processed (summation) in order todetermine from them the next operating state of the technicalinstallation. In this way, simple realization of a uniform operatingprofile—for example a symmetrical flame profile—is achieved even underdisadvantageous operating conditions, such as for example anunsymmetrical geometric arrangement of the burners, different burneroutputs (for example of the pilot and main burners).

[0021] The components are advantageously of the same type as oneanother.

[0022] The components being of the same type as one another has theeffect that the assessment of at least one other component with anumerical value when there are changes in the operating state isparticularly simple, since the values of the numerical values with whichthe components concerned are assessed do not have to be dependent on thefunction of a component per se, but only on the role of the componentconcerned which the latter plays in a certain operating state of thetechnical installation with regard to desired economical operation ofthe installation. This development means that, when establishing thevalues of the numerical values with which the assessment of othercomponents takes place, less effort has to be expended, sincepeculiarities by which the components could be distinguished from oneanother do not have to be taken into account.

[0023] In a further advantageous refinement of the invention, a uniform,in particular symmetrical, spatial distribution of components that arein operation is achieved by the switching on or off of components.

[0024] If the components of the technical installation are, for example,actuators, which exert forces for example on a raw material to beprocessed, on a positioning device or conveying devices or the like, auniform spatial distribution of those actuators which exert a forcespecifically in a certain operating state is advantageous, since theloading of the material concerned or the device concerned is in thiscase more favorable in comparison with nonuniform loading, in whichundesired deformations, ruptures or even destruction can occur, forexample as a consequence of internal stresses caused by force gradients.

[0025] If the technical installation is a combustion installation with anumber of burners, which are arranged for example along the inside wallof a combustion chamber, a spatial distribution of burners that are inoperation is particularly advantageous, since as a result a homogeneoustemperature profile is achieved in the combustion chamber and as aresult the fuel supplied is used particularly efficiently and theinstallation is operated in an economical and material-conservingmanner.

[0026] In a further advantageous refinement of the invention, thosecomponents which are respectively arranged virtually at the same spatialdistance from the component commencing or ceasing to operate areassessed with the same numerical value.

[0027] In this way a uniform spatial distribution of components that arein operation can be achieved particularly easily, since it is alreadytaken into account in the assessment of the components that componentsspaced equally from a reference point—that is the arrangement locationof a component to be switched on or off—are assessed the same, wherebythe desired equal spatial distribution is already included in theassessment and not only taken into account during or after the furtherprocessing of the numerical values (summation).

[0028] As already stated, said assessment is, for example, particularlyadvantageous whenever force is exerted by the components of aninstallation on a raw material, a product or a device, since a uniformexposure to force in this case minimizes risks to the raw material, theproduct or the device. Similarly, an assessment of this type isadvantageous in the case of the already mentioned combustioninstallation with a number of burners arranged in a combustion chamber,since a uniform distribution of burners that are in operation is alsodesired here with regard to a uniform temperature profile in thecombustion chamber, and can easily be achieved in this way.

[0029] With respect to the device of the type stated at the beginning,the object is achieved according to the invention by it being possiblefor a number of numerical values respectively assigned to a component tobe stored in at least one arithmetic unit, the arithmetic unit beingmade able to trigger an assessment of at least one other component witha numerical value when a component commences or ceases to operate and tosummate the numerical values of each component, and by the arithmeticunit also being made able to determine from the summated numericalvalues those components which are next to be switched on or off.

[0030] The components are advantageously of the same type as oneanother.

[0031] It is also advantageous that a uniform, in particularsymmetrical, spatial distribution of components that are in operation isachieved by the switching on or off of components.

[0032] In a further advantageous refinement of the invention, thosecomponents which are respectively arranged at the same spatial distancefrom the component commencing or ceasing to operate are assessed withthe same numerical value.

[0033] An exemplary embodiment of the invention is represented below. Inthe figures:

[0034]FIG. 1 shows a combustion installation which comprises a number ofburners arranged along the inside wall of a combustion chamber,

[0035]FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of the assessment of othercomponents when burners 1 and 2 of the combustion installation accordingto FIG. 1 have been switched on, and

[0036]FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of the processing unit 35according to FIG. 2.

[0037] Represented in FIG. 1 is a device 9 for operating a technicalinstallation 10, the latter comprising components 1, 2, 3, . . . 8,which are formed as burners and are arranged in a combustion chamber 15.

[0038] The device 9 comprises an arithmetic unit 20, which is connectedto the burners 1, 2, 3, . . . 8 via command lines 22 and sensor lines24.

[0039] Via the sensor lines 24, the arithmetic unit 20 respectivelyreceives from the burners 1, 2, 3, . . . 8 their operating state valuesS1, S2, S3, . . . S8. These operating state values contain, for example,information on whether the respective burner is switched on or off atthe time. In the arithmetic unit 20, the operating state values S1, S2,S3, . . . S8 are evaluated, in order in particular to establish acommencement or cessation of the operation of one or more burners. Ifthis is the case, at least one other burner is assessed with a numericalvalue in the arithmetic unit 20.

[0040] Consequently, every change in operating state triggers anassessment as a consequence of the commencement or cessation of theoperation of burners 1, 2, 3, . . . 8, so that at every operating timeof the technical installation each burner is assessed with a number ofnumerical values, which are stored in the arithmetic unit 20.

[0041] The arithmetic unit 20 includes a summation unit Σ, whichrespectively summates for each burner its numerical values assigned atthat time.

[0042] The summated numerical values of each burner 1, 2, 3, . . . 8respectively describe for each burner a priority, with which a certainburner is next to be switched on or off.

[0043] The arithmetic unit 20 also determines from these prioritiescommands Z1, Z2, Z3, . . . Z8, which are output to the burners 1, 2, 3,. . . 8. These commands may be, for example, switch-on or switch-offcommands to the individual burners, in order constantly to ensureeconomical operation of the technical installation 10.

[0044]FIG. 2 shows by way of example for the case in which burners 1 and2 of the combustion installation according to FIG. 1 have been switchedon the assessment of other burners triggered as a result.

[0045] The arithmetic unit 20 respectively receives from the burners 1and 2 their operating state values S1 and S2, which in the present casecarry at least the information that the burner 1 or 2 concerned has beenswitched on.

[0046] The operating state values S1 and S2 are switched to signalpreprocessing stages VV1 and VV2, respectively, of the arithmetic unit20. The signal preprocessing stages take the aforementioned informationfrom the operating state values S1 and S2 and assign an operating statevalue, for example the constant value 1, to the operating stateapplicable by way of example of burners 1 and 2 switched on.

[0047] The operating state value of each burner is switched tomultipliers 30 assigned to the respective burner. As a further inputsignal, these multipliers respectively also receive at least onenumerical value WZ1, WZ2 and WZ3.

[0048] These numerical values WZ1, WZ2 and WZ3 may correspond forexample to the constant values 6, 3 and 1, respectively.

[0049] In the present case, the switched-on burner 1 triggers anassessment of the other burners 2, 8, 3, 7, 4 and 6; the switched-onburner 2 triggers an assessment of the other burners 1, 3, 4, 8, 5 and7.

[0050] The assessment by the switched-on burner 1 takes place in thepresent exemplary embodiment by the summators Σ2, Σ8, Σ3, Σ7, Σ4 and Σ6,respectively assigned to the other burners 2, 8, 3, 7, 4 and 6,receiving the output signals of the multipliers 30 as input signals, asrepresented in FIG. 2.

[0051] Each of the summators Σ1, Σ2, Σ3, . . . Σ8 summates itsassociated input signals and transfers the respective sum value todownstream signal postprocessing stages NV1, NV2, NV3, . . . NV8. In thesignal postprocessing stages there can take place, for example, apostprocessing of the output signal of the respective summator Σ1, Σ2,Σ3, . . . Σ8, in that for example the output of the summator arrangedupstream of the respective signal postprocessing stage is switchedthrough to a processing unit 35 arranged downstream of the signalprocessing stages only whenever the burner assigned to the respectivesignal postprocessing stage or the respective summator is not inoperation; if the respective burner is already in operation, the signalpostprocessing stage concerned can, for example, instead of the outputvalue of the respective summator, transfer to the processing unit adifferent value as the current assessment 40. This value may, rather, bechosen such that the processing unit 35 detects burners that are alreadyin operation and consequently prevents them from receiving a (useless)switch-on command as the command Z1, Z2, Z3, . . . Z8.

[0052] The main task of the processing unit 35 is to determine from theoutput signals of the signal postprocessing stages NV1, NV2, NV3, . . .NV8 those burners which are next to be switched on or off by means ofthe commands Z1, Z2, Z3, . . . Z8. Whether the respective command Z1,Z2, Z3, . . . Z8 is a switch-on or switch-off command depends on thenext operating state into which the technical installation is to changeover from its current operating state, in order for example to achieveeconomical operation of the installation. If the installation is to bebrought from a current operating state into an operating state whichrequires a higher firing output, the processing unit 35 determinesswitch-on commands as commands Z1, Z2, Z3, . . . Z8 for the burners, inorder to achieve economic operation of the installation, for example byswitching on those burners which, in combination with the burnersalready switched on, ensure a homogeneous temperature profile in thecombustion chamber 15.

[0053] If, on the other hand, starting from the current operating state,an operating state which requires a lower firing output is required, theprocessing unit 35 determines switch-off commands as commands Z1, Z2,Z3, . . . Z8 for the burners, so that burners that are in operation areselectively switched off in such a way that the remaining burners thatare in operation ensure economical operation of the technicalinstallation, in that they produce for example a high temperatureprofile in the combustion chamber.

[0054] The processing unit 35 is consequently made able, specificallyaccording to the requirement for a next operating state, to generateboth switch-on and switch-off commands as commands Z1, Z2, Z3 . . . Z8.

[0055] For further illustration, the assessment explained by way ofexample in FIG. 2 is now to be shown with actual figures for thenumerical values WZ1, WZ2 and WZ3 and also for the outputs of the signalpreprocessing stages VV1 and VV2.

[0056] The burners 1 and 2 are assumed to have been switched on. This isindicated to the signal preprocessing stages VV1 and VV2, respectively,by means of the operating state values S1 and S2. The signalpreprocessing stage VV1 generates from the operating state value S1 ofthe burner 1 the value one and switches the latter according to FIG. 2to three of the multipliers 30. The multiplier 30 a serves for theassessment of the two burners 2 and 8 neighboring the burner 1, themultipliers 30 b and 30 c serve for the assessment of the burners 3 and7, and 4 and 6, respectively. The burner 5 is not assessed, or assessedwith the numerical value zero, by the burner

[0057] 1. The values fed as multipliers WZ1, WZ2, WZ3 to these threemultipliers 30 a, 30 b, 30 c are assumed to be the constant values six,three and one, respectively. These values correspond approximately tothe influence of the burners to be assessed on the unsymmetry of theflame profile, i.e. the distances of the assessing burner 1 from theburners to be assessed. The output of the multiplier 30 a consequentlysupplies the value six and feeds it to the summator Σ2 (which isassigned to the burner 2) and the summator Σ8 (which is assigned to theburner 8).

[0058] The output of the multiplier 30b supplies the value three, whichis switched to the summators Σ3 (which is assigned to the third burner)and Σ7 (which is assigned to the seventh burner).

[0059] The output of the third multiplier 30 c supplies the value one,which is switched to the summator Σ4 (which is assigned to the fourthburner) and to the summator Σ6 (which is assigned to the sixth burner).

[0060] The assessment of the other burners triggered by the burner 2 isto take place in an analogous way, so that the value six is switched tothe summators Σ1 and Σ3, the value three is switched to the summators Σ4and Σ8 and the value one is switched to the summators Σ5 and Σ7.

[0061] As output values, the summators Σ1, Σ2, Σ3, Σ4, Σ5, Σ6, Σ7 and Σ8determine by summation the values six, six, nine, four, one, one, fourand nine, respectively. These values are switched to the correspondinglyfollowing signal postprocessing stages NV1, NV2, NV3, . . . NV8.

[0062] In the case of a next operating state to be reached, an increasein the firing output is assumed to be required, so that switch-oncommands are determined by the processing unit 35 as commands Z1, Z2, Z3. . . Z8 for the burners, in such a way that the burners that are inoperation in the next operating state have a uniform spatialdistribution in the combustion chamber 15, in order as a result toachieve a homogeneous temperature profile.

[0063] Since the burners 1 and 2 are already in operation, the signalpreprocessing stages VV1 and VV2 do not switch the outputs of thesummators Σ1 and Σ2 to the processing unit 35, but for example to theconstant value thousand; the outputs of the other summators Σ3, Σ4, Σ5,. . . Σ8 are switched unchanged to the processing unit 35 by thefollowing signal postprocessing stages NV3, NV4, NV5, . . . NV8.

[0064] In the present example, the processing unit 35 consequently haseight input signals at its disposal to determine the burners to beswitched on in the next step.

[0065] In the case of the choice of the numerical values WZ1, WZ2 andWZ3 represented by way of example, the processing unit 35 can thendetermine the burners to be switched on in the next step in that itdetermines the minimum or minima of their input values and, in the nextstep, switches on the burners respectively associated with these minima;in the following example, this would mean that the burners 5 and 6 areswitched on in the next step. After switching on burners 5 and 6, theburners 1, 2, 5 and 6 are in operation.

[0066] A glance at FIG. 1 shows that the described switching on of theburners 5 and 6 in addition to the burners 1 and 2 that are already inoperation has the effect of ensuring uniform firing of the combustionchamber 15, since, given the spatial arrangement of the burnersaccording to FIG. 1, in this way opposing pairs of burners with respectto the center point of the combustion chamber 15 are operated, whichleads to uniform firing of the combustion chamber 15 and consequently toeconomical operation of the technical installation.

[0067] The assessment principle represented in FIG. 2 can be easilygeneralized: a certain burner is chosen as the reference burner and afirst, a second and a third neighboring pair of burners are defined inrelation to it. With respect to the burner 3, the first neighboring pairof burners defined in this way is the pair of burners formed by theburners 2 and 4, the second pair of burners is the pair of burnersformed by the burners 5 and 1 and the third neighboring pair of burnersis the pair of burners formed by the burners 6 and 8.

[0068] If the burner 3 then commences to operate, it triggers forexample an assessment of the burners 2 and 4 with the value six, anassessment of the burners 5 and 1 with the value three and an assessmentof the burners 6 and 8 with the value one. If another burner commencesto operate, this is chosen as the reference burner and forms in ananalogous way a further first neighboring pair of burners, a furthersecond neighboring pair of burners and a further third neighboring pairof burners.

[0069] In FIG. 3, an exemplary embodiment of the processing unit 35 fromFIG. 2 is represented.

[0070] The current assessments 40 are in this case switched to aselection module AB of the processing unit 35; in addition, an auxiliaryvalue may also have been switched and is used, for example, by theselection module AB for the purpose of also determining burners that areto be switched on or off whenever the evaluation of the currentassessments 40 is not possible, for example because of a fault. Inparallel with their switching to the selection module AB, the currentassessments 40 are respectively passed as a threshold 44 to a respectivethreshold-value module SB.

[0071] The selection module AB may then be designed, for example, as aminimum-value module, which selects the minimum from the currentassessments 40 and passes this as its output signal to the summator 42as an input signal. The summator 42 combines the output of the selectionmodule AB with a constant K to form a sum, which is simultaneouslyswitched to the inputs of all the threshold-value modules SB. Since thethresholds 44 belonging to the respective threshold-value modules differin their values, the input signal for all the threshold-value modules SBis the same, only those threshold-value modules in which the inputsignal raised by the constant K exceeds the value of the respectivelyassociated threshold supply an output signal which is not equal to zeroas commands Z1, Z2, Z3, . . . Z8.

[0072] The previously described specific form of the selection module ABas a minimum-value module can be used particularly advantageously whendetermining components to be switched on of the technical installation.For determining components to be switched off of the technicalinstallation, the selection module AB is preferably formed as amaximum-value module. It is consequently ensured that—if the assessmentis carried out in a way similar to that described in FIG. 2—thosecomponents which have the greatest value as current assessments 40 aredetermined as components to be switched off in the next step.

1. A method for operating a technical installation (10) comprising anumber of components (1, 2, 3, . . . 8), in particular a combustioninstallation for generating electrical energy, characterized by thefollowing steps: a) each component commencing or ceasing to operatecontinually triggers an assessment of at least one other component witha numerical value (WZ1, WZ2, WZ3), b) the numerical values (WZ1, WZ2,WZ3) of each component are summated, and c) the components which arenext to be switched on or off are determined from the numerical valuessummated.
 2. The method as claimed in claim 1, the components (1, 2, 3,. . . 8) being of the same type as one another.
 3. The method as claimedin claim 1 or 2, a uniform, in particular symmetrical, spatialdistribution of components that are in operation being achieved by theswitching on or off of components (1, 2, 3 . . . 8).
 4. The method asclaimed in claim 3, those components which are respectively arranged atthe same spatial distance from the component commencing or ceasing tooperate being assessed with the same numerical value.
 5. A device foroperating a technical installation (10) comprising a number ofcomponents (1, 2, 3, . . . 8), in particular a combustion installationfor generating electrical energy, characterized in that a number ofnumerical values (WZ1, WZ2, WZ3) respectively assigned to a componentcan be stored in at least one arithmetic unit (20), in that thearithmetic unit (20) is made able to trigger an assessment of at leastone other component with a numerical value (WZ1, WZ2, WZ3) when acomponent (1, 2, 3, . . . 8) commences or ceases to operate and tosummate the numerical values of each component (1, 2, 3, . . . 8), andin that the arithmetic unit (20) is also made able to determine from thesummated numerical values those components which are next to be switchedon or off.
 6. The device as claimed in claim 5, the components (1, 2,
 3. . . 8) being of the same type as one another.
 7. The device as claimedin claim 5 or 6, a uniform, in particular symmetrical, spatialdistribution of components that are in operation being achieved by theswitching on or off of components (1, 2, 3 . . . 8).
 8. The device asclaimed in claim 7, those components which are respectively arranged atthe same spatial distance from the component commencing or ceasing tooperate being assessed with the same numerical value.